The Dawning… Of a New Night
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and NCIS belong to their respective creators, J.K. Rowling and Donald P. Bellisario. I’m not making any profit from this story.
Author’s Note: This story was written for EmyPink, her gift for the Secret Santa Exchange: 2009 Edition on NFA. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Three
Officer Ziva David had been working for two days straight. The bombing of Anacostia Naval Station was a disaster, over 3,500 lives taken in the thirty miles destroyed. She had heard whispers that this was only the beginning, that whoever these people were; they were out to eliminate everyone who did not share their beliefs. It was a national disaster; the United States of America was in a panic.
Jennifer Shepard, Director of NCIS, had been holed up in her office for three days; she had been one of the first on the scene at Anacostia Naval Station, seeing as she lived nearby, and her rank in NCIS of all places made it necessary for her to see the damage done on her turf. She had come back and ordered every single one of her employees, her agents, guards, technicians, and forensic scientists, to report for duty.
Abby had been pouring over what little evidence they had non-stop, finally submitting to sleep a few hours ago when Gibbs had threatened to lock her out of the lab. She was not at all pleased that her lab had been invaded by five other forensic scientists, some legendary in their discoveries. They had been frowning at Abby’s “attire” since they showed up. Gibbs had been heard having a little chat with them shortly before Abby went to camp out on the futon, and they hadn’t made one single comment or distained look at Abby since.
Truthfully, Ziva had known that something was off the second she had woken up at 5:00 a.m. to go on her morning run, and seen the chaos on the streets. She had gone to offer her help, and when she saw the National Guard marching up and down the streets, she realized this was far out of her league.
Her phone had rung, and it had been Jenny’s voice recording telling her, and the other NCIS employees to report for duty. Bring identification, your gun, and be prepared to be away from home for awhile, had been her orders.
It was now two and a half days later, there had been an attack in London, Gibbs had been running them to the ground, on the “Bigwig’s” orders, as Tony called them, and they were now all seated around a huge table in a comfortable room, in the White House of all places! Director Morrow, of Homeland Security, former Director of NCIS, had just walked in, and was greeting them all.
“Director Shepard, Jethro, Agent DiNozzo, Agent McGee, Dr. Mallard, Ms. Scioto, Officer David,” the man’s voice was just as deep as one would expect of one in a position of power, yet it also had a soothing quality to it. “May I suggest that you all get comfortable? We have quite the talk ahead of us.”
Ziva could see that Gibbs was ready to start interrogating his former boss, and apparently so could Jenny. She shot him a look before focusing in on Director Morrow.
“If I may ask sir, just what are we here to talk about?” She asked. Director Morrow smiled a tired, weary smile at her, and looked at everyone in the room.
“Director Shepard, we are here to talk about the help you are going to be receiving on this investigation.” He held up his hands at the protests starting.
“This order comes straight from the President himself. These people are experienced in fighting against this theat.”
Jenny, Gibbs, Ducky, Tony, Abby, and Tim all looked outraged. She knew her face must match theirs.
“Are you telling me, Director, you’ve known who is behind the whole time and you’ve waited for help? Precious time has been wasted waiting! What do these people have that we don’t?” Jenny Shepard beat Gibbs in asking Director Morrow what they were all thinking.
Director Morrow smiled at her and simply said, “Magic.”
*** *** *** *** ***
Tonks could feel her body quivering in fear and excitement. She reminded herself that even if these people were government agents, they were still muggles. That did nothing to calm her nerves. Around her Charlie was seemingly staring into space, but she knew better, he was watching for signs of something going wrong. Professor, no, Minerva, as she had told them all to call her, was arguing with a hyper Sirius. Remus was watching them with amusement. Harry was pacing the floor, and for a brief moment she was afraid it would fall through with the forces of his strides.
Just as she was about to go talk to him, a blond haired woman, Jane, she recalled, came out of the office she had been in. Her eyes looked over everyone in the room, before she coughed, making all but Tonks whip out their wands.
She raised her hands in a gesture showing she meant them no harm. Her voice was light as she told them, “Director Morrow is waiting for you.”
Remus was the first to ask. “Are the muggle authorities with him?” He needed to know if it was time for him to have to tell his darkest secret to strangers, who thought it simply a myth.
Jane smiled at him, sympathy clear in her gaze. “Yes, they are. It will most likely go better if you call them by their names, or titles, and by not their lack of magical abilities, just so you know.” The smile never left her face, but everyone in the room could see this woman meant what she had just said.
Remus coughed. “Duly noted,” was all he said. He looked away from Jane back to her and she gave him a smile, she knew he was scared, scared of being thought a freak, of telling a secret he considered shameful to people he didn’t think could understand there was a man behind the “monster.” No matter what these muggles thought, she vowed, she would be there for him. She knew the man inside him, and she wasn’t about to let him go, monster or no monster.
Remus stood up and she followed him. Sirius was standing right next to Harry, silently offering strength. Minerva was standing in the back, looking stern and proper, watching over her former pupils. Charlie brought up the rear, ready to defend them all if needed.
Jane led them to a door, where the sound of raised voices could be heard. She gave them a reassuring smile, and they all checked to make sure their wands were in their grasp, before she knocked. The voices quieted immediately, rustling could be heard, as could whispers.
“Come in.”
Jane moved to open the door. She gave them one last smile, and Tonks took one last look at her group, before walking into the lions den.
Her trained eyes immediately started looking over the room, the people, for threats, and she could feel the agents doing the same to them. One thought crossed her mind, what a group!
The leader, or so it seemed by their reactions, was a tall man with a proud and intimidating stance, his hair styled after one of the American muggle soldier groups, the Navy, no, Marines, and his cold blue eyes reminded her of Dumbledore’s when he was angry, yet they also remind her of Sirius’s. They were full of the same sadness, bitterness, and self-loathing. He had suffered a loss he had never truly recovered from or forgiven himself for. He was the silent ‘father’, the one who was always there, but rarely needed words. He would give his life for his ‘family,’ maybe he pushed them too hard, but in his mind he was doing what was right, what was best.
Sitting next to him was a woman past 5’4 in height, with sea green eyes, that were fierce and sharp, and short red hair. Tonks briefly wondered if she was related to the Weasley’s. The woman’s stance showed she had power, and she was not afraid to use it. For some reason though, the man sitting awfully close to her was considered the leader of this group, even if she had more power. She wondered why. She was the ‘mother’ of this bunch. She seemed to be a woman who was used to getting what she wanted, even if it cost her or those around her, greatly.
The man sitting across from them was well into older age, short, dressed in scrubs, a doctor then, and his eyes held wisdom that most people would kill for. He was the kindly uncle slash grandfather, switching from telling rambling stories to giving you the shove in the head that pushed you to bring it out of your ass. He had seen things, things that would break a weaker man, and maybe in a way they had broken him too. This was his family, he had never settled down, never had children, never spent his life with the one he loved. Maybe his rambling stories were a cry for the attention he had never found.
Sitting next to him was one of the most outrageously dressed people Tonks had ever seen. She loved this woman’s style, though she could feel Minerva huffing at the indignity of it. She had ebony black hair, pulled into two pigtails, her lips were outlined in bright red lipstick, her intelligent jade green eyes were staring at her from under a ton of purple mascara, and her outfit was all black, a tank top with skulls on it, with ripped jeans. This was probably a well behaved outfit for her, too. She was willing to bet this woman was the ‘baby,’ who always got her way, having ‘daddy’ wrapped around her finger.
Sitting next to her was a broad shouldered, tall man, 6’1 to the neighboring woman’s 5’9, with a sweet baby face, and revealing green eyes. He was watching someone behind her, Remus she realized with a start. His arm drew the woman next to him closer, as though he were trying to shield her. He was the ‘little brother, the middle child,’ the one who was constantly mocked, and overlooked. An overachiever, kind hearted, but if the way he was gripping that woman was any indication, fiercely protective if needed.
Standing behind him was a tall, brown haired man, with light green eyes. His posture and facial expression gave off the vibe of not caring, but those green eyes betrayed that façade. They were intelligent, maybe not in the way the man in front of him was, or the gothic dressed woman, or even the doctor, but there was intelligence. Street smarts, she had heard Moody call it once. This man did not have a degree in medicine, or teaching, but he know things the others didn’t. He was the eldest ‘child,’ the one who mocked his baby ‘brother’ to toughen him up, and pulled his little ‘sister’s’ pigtails.
Reaching the last person in the group, she tried to get a reading on this woman. She felt so familiar, but she didn’t know many muggles, and no American ones. She went over what she could glimpse of the woman, who was keeping her head down. Dark brown hair, almost black, dark, tanned skin, leading her to believe she wasn’t Caucasian, a lean physique a tank top and cargo pants, a Star of David around her neck… And was that a knife?!
Okay, so she was Jewish. Maybe middle-eastern, that would explain her skin tone and the knife. Tonks stopped her profiling and felt all her breath leave her body when the woman’ eyes locked with hers. She would recognize those eyes anywhere in the world, eyes that looked much more tired and sad then when she had last saw them, if that was even possible. The owner of those eyes stared into hers for a few more seconds, before her voice, the voice that Tonks thought she would never hear again floated out of her mouth.
“Hello Dora,” Zia Jacobs greeted.
Tonks swallowed before replying, “Hello Zia.”
The two didn’t seem to notice their respective groups bewildered looks, as one rose, the other stepped closer and finally they bridged the gap between them for the first time in over ten years, since the day they parted on that tragic day in London.
There would be the need for explanations soon, but for this second, the other just needed to know that their old friend was alive and well in front of them.
Finally, minutes later, releasing the other from their grip, they smiled at each other, and turned to tell their story, that started that summer day in London, ten years before.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Death Eaters attack a Navel base, and in doing so bring two very different worlds together.